Robert Martin Collection on Gay Sexuality and Education
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Abstract
Robert Martin (1916-2015) served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was Chief of the U.S. Army Research Laboratories Sci-Tech Information Division in Natick, Massachusetts for 25 years. He lived the majority of his life in West Virginia. This collection contains gay erotic pulp novels; non-fiction books on homosexuality and sexual education; and a small collection of erotic images of homosexual and heterosexual activities.
Biographical Note
Robert Martin (1916-2015) was born in Ohio, and eventually moved to Wheeling, West Virginia. Martin acquired degrees from both Bethany College and Vanderbilt University, and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was Chief of the U.S. Army Research Laboratories Sci-Tech Information Division in Natick, Massachusetts for 25 years. He eventually moved back to West Virginia, where he passed away at the age of 98.
Source: "Robert Martin."; "The Intelligencer. Ogden Newspapers," 9 February 2015. Web. 30 March 2017. http://www.theintelligencer.net/obituaries/2015/02/robert-martin/
Arrangement
The collection was been arranged by a Fales student worker by item type. The pulp novels and non-fiction books are listed separately, in alphabetical order by author's last name, followed by the one folder of photographs.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains gay erotic pulp novels from the 1930s to the 1980s; non-fiction books covering topics such as homosexuality and society, sexuality, and sexual education from the 1940s to the 1970s; and a small collection of undated photographs, playing cards, and photographic reproductions of erotic artwork of homosexual and heterosexual activities. This collection illustrates the informational and recreational material accumulated by a gay man living in Massachusetts and West Virginia during the 1950s through 1980s.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers. Appointments are necessary for the use of manuscript and archival collections.
Conditions Governing Use
NYU's Fales Library & Special Collections is not the copyright owner for this collection. Collection use is subject to all copyright laws. Researchers wishing to reproduce collection material should contact rights holders for permission.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Robert Martin Collection on Gay Sexuality and Education; MSS 499; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated by Jerome Poynton in August 2016; the accession number associated with this gift is 2017.089.
Custodial History
An unknown individual purchased Robert Martin's estate after his death in 2015, discovered this collection of material, and gave it to Jerome Poynton, who then donated the collection to the Fales Library in 2016.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Between 2016 and 2017, a Fales Library student worker rearranged, foldered, and reboxed the novels and books. The photographs were refoldered and left in their original order. A student worker also created folder titles and entered them into a spreadsheet. In 2017, the spreadsheet was ingested into the finding aid to provide a folder level inventory.
